Outdoor activities and natural environment: a resilience metaphor bridging the human-natural interface
Abstract
Sport is perceived as a source of harmony that contributes to a balance between the mental and physical elements of a human being, or as a continuous attempt to surpass the physical limits posed by the body. In the context of a more performance oriented approach some ‘limits to growth’ of individual performance could be defined that should not be exceeded without risk to human health.
On the other hand, these limits are constantly shifting due to growing pool of experience and technical knowledge in the sports field. The aim of developing this know-how is to maintain a certain resilience a ‘capacity of a system to maintain and renew itself particularly in the presence of stressors’.
The term acquires similar meaning in the field of medicine, psychology, ecology or the social and cultural sciences and could be used as a metaphor that enables the interrelation of these fields and the bridging of the gap in their practical applications. Based on the resilience concept, a better reflection of physical load and its proper management to enhance the positive experience of training is possible.
As a metaphor it can also contribute to reducing the tension between the relationship between human beings and the environment. This dimension is an important aspect of outdoor education but has recently been neglected which has had a twofold impact: the changing nature of outdoor activities and environmental degradation as a result of this modified character